Voluntary Insanity!

 Voluntary Insanity!

 

Currently the gauge on the back deck says 115 degrees. Dear Hearts, anyone who will voluntarily go out there in the heat to do anything other than just water the critters has got to either already be insane or heading that way in a downhill tongueless wagon! Even the dogs don’t want out there. The hens don’t have a choice, but they are in the shade and scratching around in the water coming out of the big black water tub. Hoping that the tree we call Reece will not totally give up. Its leaves are very wilted, but even water may not help at this point.

 

Honestly, if you have a choice at all, do NOT get out on the highways. If you think the grass is almost burned to a crisp, imagine what the pavement is like. Brand new tires would blow out when it’s this hot! Can’t imagine what those great big trucks are doing when they have to haul all over hello and half of Georgia! Maybe the storm fronts forecast for the middle part of the country will bring a measure of cooler air. Nothing like hoping.

 

Two eggs today. One was a faded beige color that made me wonder if one of the hens is about to stop laying. Suspect that it might be Rusty Lady. She and Athena are close to the same age. A man gave Athena to me to keep Rusty company when the other hens were killed by my sister-in-law’s dogs. They had to come stay with me when Annie went into rehab after breaking her ankle. She only has one of them now—Snoop. Mine don’t hurt the hens unless the hens get run over when the dogs are chasing something else. Of course, the old woman got run over for the same reason! Doing my best to stop that foolishness! But right now, they are not doing much in the way of running. Panting and walking in the dog pool is about their speed at the moment.

 

Made that rice, chicken, corn, chili peppers, and black olive stuff and it turned out pretty good. It will make a couple of meals a day for two days maybe. The dogs got their special “Dr. Marty’s” stuff today in the mail. Expensive stuff, but not anything in it that will hurt them. Think it is mostly freeze-dried meats that can have water added. They will be getting it more as a treat than as a meal. They had ground turkey with rice and chicken broth this morning. Both were happy to eat all that they had in their bowls. They won’t eat regular dog food now. And Jennifer’s dogs are going to get the rest of a big bag of Royal Canin. Even when they were still eating regular dog food, they did not like it. Go figure.

 

Guess tomorrow will see an old woman trying to do a bit of house cleaning as Sharon and Jim may stop by going or coming from a memorial service for his niece. They won’t mind much if they don’t have a couch to sit on, but it would be nice to have the dust bunnies under control before they get here. Opening the front door shows all the dog hair on the floor, so maybe that can be gathered up by Saturday. Think enough of that hair is floating around to stuff a new couch or at least an ottoman. See the grin on my face? The folks years ago stuffed things with horse hair, so why not dog hair? Know for sure that Jennifer’s dogs could stuff an entire bed when they blow their coats! Huskies!

 

Everything is so very brown outside. The trees are the only green spots out there except for the trumpet vines. The birds are still singing, but think they sound a bit husky without any water. One of my hens is molting bad and has an almost bare head and breast. If she were able to sing, her song might be along the lines of how sweet it is to go naked in the summer! Know the feeling well.

 

Just noticed that Wichita County is still fighting a fire out toward Iowa Park area that has already consumed nearly 4000 acres. The smoke has cut off 287 in places, but the highway is still open. This reminds me of the time that Montague County nearly burned to a crisp and took some folks with it. The cattle can’t get away from this kind of fire because they don’t have any direction to run. Sad, just sad.

 

Guess this post is not the least bit uplifting. Texas in the heat is just pretty sad, to tell the truth. Just thanking God for air conditioning! It is 89 degrees here in my living room and that is with the AC going! Yep, danged hot!

 

Let us be thankful for all the blessings God has given us. At least the mornings are not as terrible as the afternoons. And we are still allowed to have water. It could definitely be worse.

 

Rest well, my friends, and try to use good judgment if you are going to be outside. You are loved.